DEC announces results of study to guide buck management

Submitted

Thu, Feb 18th 2016 06:20 pm

Agency
will encourage hunters to voluntarily pass up young bucks

A multi-year study to
guide buck management in New York found deer hunters prefer to harvest older
bucks and that further expanding mandatory antler restrictions is not warranted
at this time, Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner
Basil Seggos announced. Instead, the state will encourage hunters to voluntarily
pass up shots at younger bucks as a management method to best serve the
interests of deer hunters across the state.

"Through this study, DEC
engaged with the hunting community to determine the best deer herd management
practices to benefit both the deer population and our state's wildlife
enthusiasts," Seggos said. "DEC staff concluded that promoting voluntary
restraint was appropriate given the high level of hunter support for increased
availability of older bucks. Using a sound scientific approach to wildlife
management is an essential strategy to expand hunting opportunities and growing
the hunting economy in New York."

DEC and the New York
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University conducted the
study in response to long-standing interests expressed by many hunters for DEC
to adopt regulations to reduce the take of yearling bucks (male deer younger
than 1.5 years old) to increase the number of older bucks in the population.
Moving forward, DEC intends to work with several leading sportsmen groups
across the state to educate hunters on their important role in deer management,
the impacts of their harvest choices, and the likely changes in the deer
population as more and more hunters voluntarily refrain from taking young
bucks.

The study included a
statewide survey of 7,000 deer hunters conducted in fall 2013 by the Human
Dimensions Research Unit at Cornell University, a nationally recognized leader
in surveys to assess public opinions and attitudes on wildlife-related issues.

DEC considered six
alternatives to increase the proportion of older bucks in the population,
including mandatory antler restrictions during all or portions of the archery
and firearms seasons, shorter firearms seasons, a one-buck-per-hunter-per-year
rule, promoting voluntary restraint by hunters, and a no change option. DEC
analyzed these alternatives for each of the state's seven distinct buck
management zones. The decision process weighted hunter values 3:1 over
potential impacts on population management and costs, but the survey found hunter
values did not strongly lean in any one particular direction.

"The issue of antler
restrictions has divided our deer hunting community for too many years and I am
pleased to see that the DEC used a very structured, nonbiased decision-making
process to determine the outcome," said Larry Becker, chairman of the New York
Sportsmen's Advisory Council. "It is most important that everyone understands
that DEC has listened to what the majority of the deer hunters in the state
want and that this was the primary factor that drove the final decision. The
hunters spoke and DEC listened."

DEC plans to work with
sportsmen and women and other stakeholder groups, including the New York State
Conservation Council (NYSCC) and Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), in
the coming year to develop a cooperative, educational effort to encourage
hunters to pass up shots at young bucks. It is clear hunters' choices can and
do affect the age and size of bucks in deer herd, and when hunters choose to
pass young bucks, it can make a difference for other hunters, as well.

"The Quality Deer
Management Association is pleased New York has engaged its deer hunters at such
a high level to learn their values and desires," said Kip Adams, QDMA director
of education and outreach. "We feel this is a positive step for the DEC and for
hunters, and we are extremely supportive of the department's proposed
educational campaign on the benefits of protecting yearling bucks."

"The New York State
Conservation Council would like to applaud the hard work of both the DEC deer team
and Cornell University, as well as the hunting community that participated in
this important work," said Rich Davenport, NYSCC big game committee co-chairman.
"We look forward to assisting the DEC and other sportsmen groups with educating
the hunters of today and tomorrow on the benefits of
voluntary harvest restraint and the importance of the management role hunters
of New York play. It's a critical component to ensure we have healthy deer
herds well into the future."

Detailed technical
reports on the analysis of alternatives and results of the hunter survey are
both available on the DEC website (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html),
along with more succinct summaries of the work that was done. DEC plans to hold
public information meetings later this spring and summer to discuss these
results and get hunter feedback on ways to encourage others to pass up shots at
young, small-antlered bucks.

The meetings will also
provide an opportunity for hunters and others to provide input on other aspects
of DEC's deer management plan, which will be updated in the coming year. The
current (2012-16) statewide deer plan is also available on the DEC website (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7211.html).